Leviticus 27

Laws touching the redeeming of men, which were vowed devoted unto God, verse 1. etc. of beasts, 9. of houses, 14. of fields or grounds, 16. what things were not to be vowed, and being vowed might be redeemed or not? 26. of redeeming the tenths, both of fruits and cattle, 30.

1. Moreover the LORD spoke unto Moseh, saying:

2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say to them; when any one shall have separated a Vow, [viz. of such things or persons as appertain unto him, or are in his power and disposing, desirons to dedicate and consecrate the same to the LORD for an holy use: which therefore below verse 14. etc. is called a hallowing] the souls, [i.e. the persons, or men. See Gen. 12. on verse 5.] shall be the LORD’s, [and consequently the Priests, who were to administer the service of the LORD, and to take charge of all that belonged thereunto. Heb. unto the LORD] according to thy Estimation. [The LORD speaketh unto the Priest here, as appeareth by verse 12. who was to make this Estimation; understand thereby the sum of money, which the hallowed things were valued at and redeemed for]

3. When thy Estimation shall be of a man of twenty years old, to one that is sixty years old, [Heb. of a son of twenty years, to a son of sixty years, and so in the sequel] then shall thy Estimation be of fifty shekels of silver [of this coin, see Gen. 20. on verse 16. and chapter 23. on verse 15.] according to the shekel of the Sanctuary.

4. But if it be a woman, then shall thy Estimation be thirty shekels.

5. And if it be of one that is five years old, to one that is twenty years old, then the Estimation of a man shall be twenty shekels, and for a woman ten shekels.

6. But if it be of one that is a month old, unto one that is five years old, then the Estimation of a man shall be five shekels of silver, and thy Estimation over a woman, shall be three shekels of silver.

7. And if it be one of that is sixty years old, and upwards, if it be a man, then thy Estimation shall be fifteen shekels; and for a woman ten shekels.

8. But if he be poorer then thy Estimation, [Or, then thou hast estimated him, i.e. if he be so poor, that he is not able to pay thy Estimation] then he shall place himself before the face of the Priest, that the Priest may estimate him; the Priest shall estimate him according, that the hand of him that made the Vow, shall be able to get. [see of this phrase above chapter 5. on verse 7.]

9. And If it be a beast, whereof one offereth sacrifice unto the LORD, whatsoever he [viz. that made the Vow] shall have given thereof [i.e. of what one useth to offer, according to the Law] unto the LORD (the same) shall be holy. [Heb. holiness and so in the next verse, and verse 14, etc. i.e. dedicated and consecrated to God.]

10. He shall not alter, nor charge the same, a good for a bad (one) or a bad for a good (one) if nevertheless he in any wise exchange [Heb. exchanging exchange] a beast for a beast, then this, [viz. that was changed] and that for which it is changed, [Heb. his exchange, i.e. that which is put in the place of the changed, so below verse 33.] shall be holy.

11. And if it be any unclean beast, of which one offereth no sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall place that beast before the face of the Priest:

12. And the Priest shall estimate the same, according as it is good or bad, and accordingly to proportion his estimate, Hebr. betwixt good and betwixt bad, and so below verse 14.] according to thy estimation, Priest, so shall it be.

13. But if he will needs redeem it, [Heb. redeeming redeem] then shall he and the first part of it above the estimation.

14. And when any shall have consecrated (hallowed) his house, [i.e. freely offered and dedicated the same to God by a Vow, whereby it became the Priests; in which case, if one would have the house redeemed, the estimation of the value thereof was to be made by the Priest, and a first part over and above the same to be paid for it] that it should be holy to the Lord, then the Priest shall estimate the same, according as it is good or bad; even as the Priest shall have estimated the same, so shall it stand.

15. And if he that hallowed it, will redeem his house, then he shall add above the same a fifth part of the money of thy estimation, then it shall be his.

16. If likewise any one shall have hallowed ought unto the LORD of the field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to its seed; [i.e. according to the quantity of the seed, wherewith that land was to be sowed, shalt thou value the money that is to be paid for the redemption thereof] one Homer [of this measure, see 1 King. 4. on vers. 22. Isaiah 5:10. Ezekiel 45:11. Hosea 3:2.] of barly seed shall be at fifty shekels of silver.

17. If he shall have consecrated his field from the Jubel-year, [see above chapter 25. verse 20.] then shall it stand according to thy estimation. [i.e. according to the price thou puttest upon it, shall that land return again to him that had hallowed it unto the LORD, he paying the said price.

18. But if he shall have hallowed his field after the Jubel-year, then shall the Priest count him the money, according to the years, that are remaining yet unto the Jubel-year, [i.e. according to as many, or as few, as are remaining over, until the Jubel-year] and shall be deducted from thy estimation. [Of this deduction and abatement, according to the number of years from the Jubilee, see above chapter 25. 15, 16, 17.]

19. And it he will absolutely redeem [Heb. redeeming redeem] the field, that hallowed the same; then he shall add a first part of the money of thy estimation above it, and the same shall be confirmed to him.

20. And if he shall not redeem that field, or if he have sold that filed unto another man; then it shall be redeemed no more.

21. But that field, after that it shall have gone out in the Jubel-year [viz. out of the power and the possession of then that had bought the same, see above chapter 25. on ver. 28.] shall be holy to the LORD, like a banned (accursed, or devoted) field: [The Hebr. Epithite here implyeth indeed an extirpation and destruction, whereof nothing was to be left over, Deuteronomy 2:34. and 7. 26. but withal, a dedicating and consecrating of some thing to Gods peculiar service, which consequently became the Priests own, or propriety, as here, and below ver. 29. Num. 18. ver. 14.] the possession thereof shall he the Priests.

22. And if he have hallowed a field to the LORD, which he bought, [Heb. of his buying, or, acquiring] and is not of the field of his possession, [viz. by inheritance.]

23. Then the Priest shall count unto him the sum of thy Estimation unto the Jubel-year: [i.e. the Estimation which thou Moseh, by my command dost appoint him, which must be made by the Priest himself, ver. 25. or, these words are addressed by the LORD unto the Priest himself, that was to make this Estimation, see above verse 12.] and he {viz. which hallowed the field] shall give thy Estimation upon the same day, a holiness to the LORD, [i.e. which is hallowed unto the LORD, or, unto the LORD (for) holiness i.e. that it may be holy to the LORD.]

24. In the Jubel-year shall that field return again to him, from whom he had bought it, unto him that had the possession of that land.

25. All thy estimation [Now here the LORD speaks apparently again to the Priest] Shall be made according to the Shekel of the Sanctuary, the shekel shall be of twenty Gerahs, [a Gerah weighed sixty barly-grains, or aces, answering in our value the twentieth part of a Rix-doller, (about two pence three farthings within a small matter) See likewise of this coin, Exodus 30:13. Numbers 3:41. & 18. 16.]

26. But the first-born, which is first-born to the LORD of a beast, [i.e. which otherwise by right of primogeniture doth belong unto the LORD, and therefore no vow can be made of it, see Exodus 13:2. and 22. 29. and 34. 19. Numb. 3. 13. and chapter 8. 17.] that none shall hallow, whether it be a bullock, or small cattle, it is the LORD’s.

27. Yet if it be of an unclean beast, he shall redeem it according to thy Estimation, and shall add its first part above the same; and if it be not redeemed, it shall be sold, according to thy Estimation.

28. However, nothing that is banned, [See above on verse 21]. that any one shall have banned to the LORD, of all that he hath of man or beast, or of the field of his possession shall be sold or redeemed, whatsoever is banned, [Heb. all banning] shall be a holiness of holinesses unto the LORD [see above chapter 2. on verse 3.]

29. Whatsoever is banned, that which is banned of man, shall not be redeemed; it shall surely be put to death. [understand this of men, enemies to God and to his people, especially these whom the LORD commanded to be destroyed and extirpated, those might not be redeemed, nor suffered to live, see Numbers 21:2, 3. Joshua 6:17, 18. 1 Samuel 15:3. This may likewise be understood not of men, but of beasts banned, or devoted by men.]

30. Also all tenths of the land, of the fruit of the trees are the LORD’s, they are holy to the LORD. [There were four sorts of Tenths. 1. The ordinary yearly Tenths of the Levites, spoken of in this place , Numbers 18:21. etc. Deuteronomy 14:22, etc. and 25. verse 12, & c. 2 Chron. 31. verse 5. Neh. 10. verse 37. Hebrews 7:9, 10. 2. The Tenth which the Levites were to give unto the High Priest out of those Tenths, Num. 18. verse 26, etc. 3. The yearly tenths, whereof the Israelites, together with their families, and the Levites were to rejoice before the LORD, Deuteronomy 12:17, 18. and chapter 14. 22, 23. 4. The trienniall Tenths in the behalf of the Levites, the Poor, the Widows and Fatherless, and the Strangers, Deuteronomy 14:28. and chapter 26. 12]

31. But if anyone will needs redeem, [Heb. redeeming will redeem] his Tenth, he shall add its first part to it above the same.

32. As for all the Tenths of bullocks and small cattle, all that shall pass under the rod, the Tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. [This hath regard to the manner of choosing out the Tenths among the cattle, which was in use then; the beasts came forth out of the stables or folds one by one, and the Tithing-man touched the tenth beast in numbering of them with his rod or staff, and so took it away for to hallow it unto the LORD, see likewise Jeremiah 33:13.]

33. He shall not make search between the good and the bad; [As between the fat and the lean, there was no choice to be made by either giver or receiver of the Tenths: he that paid his Tenths gave not what he would himself, but that which in numbering of the cattle coming forth, happened to prove the tenth in number, as is said just before] he shall not change it neither; but if he change it in any wise, [see above on verse 10.] then (both) this, and that which changed for it, shall be holy, it shall not be redeemed.

34. These are the Commandments, which the LORD commanded Moseh to the children of Israel upon Mount Sinai. [See hereof above chapter 25. 1. and chapter 26. 46.]